Cheesy Potato Soup

Potato, bacon and cheese -- all the flavors you love in a bowl of soup! The American cheese keeps the soup from curdling while it slow cooks. Mashing cooked potatoes a bit gives the soup some body, while the bacon adds a smoky-salty taste.

Caramel and Chocolate Kettle-Corn Crispie Bars

This sweet-salty bar cookie won the grand prize of $10,000 in our first annual Best of the Midwest® Recipe Contest. Judy Reynolds of Bloomington, Indiana, started with a Hoosier staple—popcorn—and stirred together these snack bars. Homemade caramel sauce makes them a standout.

Angel Chicken

The BMC 2

This bacon-topped muffin was developed by Jill Drury of Chicago. Jill, a pharmacist, used a scientific-formula approach to name her creation based on its ingredients: bacon, maple syrup and cinnamon (squared).

Suncrest Gardens Farm's Pesto Pizza

Heather Secrist, owner of Suncrest Garden Farms in Cochrane, Wisconsin, uses kale in her pesto for this tomatoey creation, featured in a story about Wisconsin pizza farms. "Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays for use throughout the year," Heather says. "Once frozen, place the cubes in a freezer bag to pull out as you need them."